Sports

Brush Blanks Bulldogs for First League Victory

Beetdiggers Dig Up Win 100 for Dreitz

Hats off to 13-year veteran Brush Head Coach Randy Dreitz,
who racked up a 100th win after his varsity Diggers managed a 48-0
shutout of University on Saturday afternoon. (by KATIE COLLINS, Brush News-Tribune Writer/Photographer)

Beetidigger nation breathed a sigh of relief after watching the varsity football team come back in physical fashion to earn a 48-0 Saturday shutout win over the University Bulldogs, causing the squad to snap the stigma of taking two consecutive Patriot League losses to top-two teams Eaton and Platte Valley. A familiar running clock situation may have come into play once again this week for the Diggers but this time it was Brush blasting through to earn a 40-point lead.

The boost of confidence was just what the Diggers needed to gain momentum into coming weeks of Patriot play and for the entire team the victory was made oh-so-sweet after earning 13-year Head Coach Randy Dreitz his 100th career win.

In a candid pre-game interview with 1010KSIR's John Beltran, Dreitz reminisced on the Diggers previous loss to Platte Valley, noting building up player confidence, going back to basics and emphasizing physicality during intense practices throughout the week. Practices after the Platte Valley pounding upped the players intensity level and senior players raised their leadership abilities by rallying under adversity to hold a meeting themselves.

“You try to analyze why but it is as if we had a big black cloud over us during that game. We are so much better than what we performed but we were simply out-manned and not physical at all.” “I told the guys,” he continued, “that this is a game you have to play with emotion. You have to be aggressive and we were none of that Friday night.”

Dreitz went on to say of the loss, “I hope it was a life lesson for the team. Sometimes you get knocked down in life and one of the hardest things to do is to come back from it, keep your head up and come back strong and I hope they learn from this situation.”

Learn they did in a display that had Brush gain ground early on for paydirt on the heels of a rotation of big ground gains from both Eddie Erives (96 yards rushing on 11 carries) and Kyle Rosenbrock (214 yards rushing on 17 carries on the night) that pushed through to a final hand-off from starting quarterback Mitch Tormohlen to senior running back Jake Morrow who managed a touchdown from three yards out to ignite the scoreboard for Brush on the Diggers very first possession. Always-faithful senior kicker Jesus Cardenas put up his first of three successful PATs to take the Diggers up 7-0.

An incredible Randy Baker catch helped spark the Diggers next drive for a total of 91 yards that would eventually see Brush push through another TD, this time on a Tormohlen bootleg. Cardenas has missed just 2 of his 17 PAT attempts on the season by this game's end with this one being blocked, taking Brush up 13-0 to end the first frame, allowing the Bulldogs just two possessions.

A Jake Brown interception early in the second quarter gave the ball back to Brush who followed through with points after connecting a Tormohlen to Rosenbrock 40-yard-long screen pass behind a big Maverick Seewald block. The conversion was unsuccessful bringing Brush up 19-0.

A junior Chase Klein quarterback sack helped Brush put a swift stop to another Bulldog possession that would eventually aid in a 93-yard touchdown carry for Rosenbrock, earning the Beetdigger bulldozer a well-deserved 'Holy Mahungus' and a third Brush TD. Rosenbrock followed through to carry in a successful conversion to add two more points to the Bulldog's 27-0 blowout.

An Alec Peterson fumble recovery ended the half on a high note for Brush. The squad entered the second half with the same relentless spirit, taking the score to 34-0 after an Eddie Erives 19-yard touchdown carry and a good Cardenas PAT. On their very next possession Brush took the game to an all-too-familiar running clock as they trumped the Bulldogs 41-0 on a second Morrow touchdown carry.

The final minutes of the game flew by boasting Beetdigger efforts such as a Levi Abbot fumble recovery and an Edgar Rojas/Christian DeLong dominating duo as special teams tacklers. In the final seconds of play freshman Arnoldo Maltos-Garcia managed more points for Brush on a 15-yard bootleg to take the Diggers to a final 48-0 blowout, definition not required, of the Bulldogs.

After the game, Coach Dreitz noted of the younger players, “All our freshman are working very hard in practice. A lot of teams don't have c team levels so they haven't had too many games and we brought them up this week.” “It was awesome to see their eyes light up,” he continued, “and awesome to get them into the game.”

After being reminded of the career milestone he'd just hit during his 100th win, a usually rough-and-rugged Randy Dreitz became a man of few words, saying in simple and heart-felt fashion, “I guarantee you it wouldn't have happened without the kids and players I've had through the years.”

The Diggers will put their now 3-2 overall and 1-2 league record to the test as they host a Homecoming extravaganza game at Beetdigger Stadium on Friday, October 5 against a 3-2 overall and 2-1 Patriot League team out of Strasburg who are just off their own stunning 55-2 defeat at the hands of Platte Valley. Kickoff is slated for 7pm at the Digger Dome, following a plethora of Homecoming action including a 2pm parade and 5pm tailgate party.

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